Tennessee Volunteers vs Purdue Boilermakers Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/31/2024

Game Time: 2:20 pm ET, Sunday, March 31, 2024

Venue:  Little Caesars Arena, Detroit, MI

Where to Watch:  CBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Tennessee +3, Purdue -3; Over/Under:  148 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Tennessee +3, Purdue -3; Over/Under:  148 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Tennessee +3.5, Purdue -3.5; Over/Under:  147.5 points

Tennessee Volunteers:  27-8 (14-4) (1st place, SEC)

Purdue Boilermakers:  32-4 (17-3) (1st place, Big Ten)

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Tennessee Volunteers:  3-2  last 5

Purdue Boilermakers:  4-1  last 5

Tennessee is entering this game with a 27-8 record overall, a 14-4 record in conference games, and they are 5-3 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Creighton Bluejays in their last game. Dalton Knecht led the team in points per game in that game with 24 while Zakai Zeigler was next on the team with 18. Zakai Zeigler led the team in assists with 6 in that game while Jahmai Mashack led the team in rebounds with 8. They were 41.8% from the field, 45.8% from 3-point range, and 83.3% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 79.1 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 67.3 PPG against them. Tennessee has an ATS record of 18-16-1 this season and their O/U record is 18-17.

Purdue is entering this game with a 32-4 record overall, a 17-3 conference record, and they are 9-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a win against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in their last game. Zach Edey led the team in points in that game with 27 while Braden Smith was next on the team with 14. Braden Smith led the team in assists with 15 in that game while Zach Edey led the team in rebounds with 14. They were 57.1% from the field, 45% from 3-point range, and 70% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 83.8 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 69.4 PPG against them. Purdue has an ATS record of 19-15-2 this season and their O/U record is 23-13.

The current betting odds have Purdue listed as a 3 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. Purdue has looked really good in their games this season with their 32-4 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked as one of the best in the nation. They have looked great in the Big Ten this year with their 17-3 conference record which led the way, but they did fall short in their conference tournament. That loss in the Big Ten Conference Tournament was their only loss at a neutral site this season though since they are 9-1 in those games. Meanwhile, Tennessee has looked really good in their games this season with their 27-8 record overall which has them ranked inside the top 25 teams in the country and also ranked in the top 10. They have looked great in the SEC with their 14-4 conference record which led the way during the regular season, but they also lost in their conference tournament just like Purdue did. Tennessee hasn't looked as good in their neutral site games either with their 5-3 record in those, and they weren't at their best coming into this tournament as they are only 3-2 in their last 5 games. Purdue has been the hotter team coming into this one and they have the motivation to keep rolling over teams after what happened to them last year. The best way to place a bet here is on Purdue to cover the spread in this game. 

Tennessee Purdue Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Sunday, March 31, 2024 (2:20 pm ET start time) is Purdue 81 Tennessee 68.

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Tennessee Volunteers: 5-10 ATS as an underdog. 7-15 ATS when seeded 4 or higher in the NCAA tournament. 12-5 OVER as a neutral court underdog of 3.5 to 6 points. 18-6 OVER in a neutral court game where the total is 145 to 149.5.

Purdue Boilermakers: 8-2 ATS in all neutral court games. 15-5 ATS against SEC opponents. 28-18 ATS in NCAA tournament games. 23-13 OVER in all games. 22-12 OVER as a favorite. 11-1 OVER after 1 or more consecutive unders.

Tennessee Volunteers:  S. Vescovi (G) Ques Sun - Illness.

Purdue Boilermakers:  None.

“He was trying to rebound the ball and was really engaged defensively and wasn’t thinking, score, score, score.” - Rick Barnes after his team’s win against Creighton in their last game in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

“We've had some experience in the tournament. We’ve had disappointment, and I think any time you have that, you appreciate things a little bit more, and your attention to detail is a little bit better.” - Matt Painter after his team’s win against Gonzaga in their last game in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

J. Aidoo 

J. James 

D. Knecht 

S. Vescovi 

Z. Zeigler

Z. Edey 

L. Jones 

T. Kaufman-Renn 

F. Loyer 

B. Smith

PPG: D. Knecht (21.4)

APG: Z. Zeigler (6)

Reb/G: J. Aidoo (7.6)

PPG: Z. Edey (24.2)

APG: B. Smith (7.2)

Reb/G: Z. Edey (11.7)

Coaches:

Tennessee Volunteers: Rick Barnes (9th season)

Purdue Boilermakers: Matt Painter (19th season)